1 KT Tunstall opens proceedings
“Wouldn’t it be better if we all had a bike right now?” yells KT Tunstall into her microphone. The Scots rocker scored the biggest, and only, gig of the Championships, performing a free set to a packed George Square on the eve of the first event. As riders rested in their hotels dotted around southern Scotland the locals sang along as international spectators nodded gleefully. Come the end of the night, though, and the repetitive nature of ‘Suddenly I See’ had everyone belting in unison.
As Tunstall strummed the song’s outro, cannons blasted paper ribbons over the crowds, coating them in the colours of the UCI before everyone made a beeline for the bar. The first ‘Superworlds’ had arrived.
2 Friends, not rivals
Five hundredths of a second was the difference between Dan Bigham and Filippo Ganna in the fourkilometre individual pursuit. The Italian came out on top to earn his sixth IP title, but only took the lead against his friend and Ineos Grenadiers colleague in the final 100 metres of the event.
After the race, Ganna waited on the home straight for Bigham, the man who masterminded his 2022 Hour record, and held him in a long hug. What did the Brit whisper in his ear? “I’m going to beat you in 12 months.”
You wouldn’t blame Bigham for fancying his chances. After running some calculations, he worked out that he was just 90cm off when Ganna crossed the finish line, a mere quarter of a watt.
3 85 and still winning
All Brian Lewis had to do was finish the Gran Fondo individual time trial, and he would become world champion. The 85-year-old Brit’s name was the only one on the start list in the 85-89 category, and barring disaster, the title would be his.
“I started cycling at 14, as a schoolboy,” he said before the race. “I want that rainbow jersey. I will sleep in it.”
